Friday, June 17, 2016

Enough is officially z'nuff and I pronounce this week over. It's been a long and pretty sad week as, amidst the national pain following the shooting in Orlando, the field of ecology lost a literally towering figure with the passing of Bob Paine. There's been a lot of opportunity to reflect on his contributions to the field, and I've spent time reading some of his interviews (including one I participated in) as well as pieces others have written about him. I think the best thing to do is to take some time to marvel at the ridiculously elegant nonsense that nature has come up with, and then get back to work.

With that in mind, here is some ridiculously elegant nonsense that is perfect.

Thing the first:

Thing the second:

I meant to post this months ago when David Bowie died. I think the unintentional wait was worth it, because the content has kept growing. I have a soft spot for the sailor version of Onchodoris muricata...

Thing the third:

I also loved this recent video from Emily Graslie at the Field Museum. She meets with the Invert Collections Manager, Jochen Gerber, who pulls some of the coolest snails out to talk about with her. I know they are the coolest because they are my favorites too, including the Snail of Ice and Fire, Aviator Snails, and Conchologist's Conch. I also got some inspiration for a future Species species of the Week week...but more on that later.

PS!
I'm now on Twitter, because I heard it was a dying medium - so I think that makes me hipster?
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